Overcoming Obstacles
I've collected inspiring quotes for years. As a struggling novelist my collection of quotes have often been the only thing that kept me going. For years I pinned these quotes to the wall above my desk. I called it my cheer leading wall.
It's easy to think that obstacles are there to defeat us. That's what I believed for a long time. But, after reading Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, I realized that obstacles are gatekeepers. They are testing us to be sure we're ready for the adventure ahead.
Like a troll guarding a bridge in fairy tales and myths, obstacles test us to see if we are strong enough and brave enough to pursue our own private mythical journey.
Sometimes it takes extraordinary courage to live the life set before us.
Here is what Booker T. Washington and Randy Pausch have to say on obstacles.
“Success is not to be measured by the position someone has reached in life, but
the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
― Booker T. Washington
“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us
out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want
something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it
badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture
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Recent Comments
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I actually have two walls, one of concrete blocks and one of strawbale. They have both proved to be obstacles but the concrete one is finished. The strawbale ones are up but not fully rendered yet (to stop the weather). If I can surmount these I can do anything!
I've always loved the Booker T. Washington quote. The Pausch quote is great, too. Thank you for sharing this moment of inspiration.
Hi Cosmicgrit, wonderful sayings. I am very encouraged and looking to the day I will overcome my walls. God bless you.
I'm glad I could contribute. I think deep down we are all much stronger than we realize. Best of luck.
Thank you for the positive quotes. I too am a quote collector, I pin them on pintrest and my bathroom mirror.
Thanks for a positive inspiring blog.
If you want something bad enough, not even a brick wall can stop the human mind.
Keep it up and we will follow your lead.
Thanks Cosmicgrit.
Finding them, defining them and overcoming obstacles to progress can be a lifelong pursuit.
Visualizing the Troll Bridge. :)
Yes it is a lifelong pursuit and we grow into ourselves along the way. Thanks Labman for commenting.
Such inspirational quotes, I definitely enjoyed reading the one about Randy Pausch, it was so true. I definitely feel like obstacles are there to test us and so that we can overcome them. In fact we NEED obstacles, because if they were never there in the first place, I'm sure we wouldn't have had advancements in anything throughout our entire period of living.
I believe you are right. For years I blamed my obstacles for my failure, but now, looking back, I see they have shaped my life and made me stronger.
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I really enjoyed that, thanks.
Dave, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.